Before EuroTier kicks off next week in Hanover, Germany, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen is expected to give the keynote speech at the “Cattle and Pig event“ held on the eve of EuroTier, the leading livestock management trade show. Organized by the DLG (German Agricultural Society), the event sets the tone for EuroTier and traditionally attracts some 500 international cattle and hog farmers.

For the first time, EuroTier will be showcasing a Nebraskan pavilion where five companies from Nebraska will be presenting their technologies in Hall 12, booth E50: Caldwell Cattle & Equipment, the Combine University of Nebraska, First National Bank of Omaha and TD Angus. EuroTier highlights the full range of the world’s solutions for livestock, including cattle, poultry and swine.

With more than 2,200 exhibitors from 51 countries, EuroTier covers technologies, equipment and know-how relevant to visitors from the United States, including feed and genetics for cattle production, which is the top agricultural industry in the State of Nebraska. Sometimes referred to as the “Beef State,” Nebraska houses nearly 4 million swine.

Gov. Pillen grew up on a small hog farm in Platte County, Nebraska and founded Pillen Family Farms there, a large-scale swine farm business, which integrates a genetics company and has 1,100 employees. Pillen received a bachelor’s degree in animal science and then earned a doctorate of veterinary medicine with a focus on swine, before practicing as a veterinarian in Nebraska.

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With a firm focus on Nebraska this year, EuroTier has teamed up with the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to set up an exhibition pavilion, which will include companies from Nebraska presenting their equipment and solutions suitable for international livestock farmers.

“It will be the first time that EuroTier hosts a pavilion housing exclusive solutions from Nebraska. The farming visitors will appreciate this addition to EuroTier, an exhibition which presents the full range of international livestock technologies and know-how,” says Ines Rathke, project manager, EuroTier.

Under the guiding theme "We Innovate Animal Farming", DLG is presenting a professional technical program with more than 400 events and conferences on the current topics of the livestock sector. These include the international marketplace for live cattle breeds, the "TopTierTreff" (top genetics); the Barn Robot Event, which presents automatic feed pushing for cattle; "AI in poultry farming;" and "Pig farming without tail docking;" direct farm sales; and farm slaughtering.

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In the conference program, the International “Cattle & Pig Event”, the International Poultry Conference, the Poultry Event and the Animal Health Event offer a mix of international keynotes, round tables, award ceremonies and subsequent networking activities.

More than 65% of the 2,200 exhibitors hail from outside Germany, including many from the U.S. The trade fair portfolio covers products and services for the entire value chain of foodstuffs of animal origin. These include genetics, feed and operating resources, husbandry and feeding systems, climate and environmental technology, digitalization, milking and cooling technology, manure management and manure removal, transport, processing, sales and marketing as well as services for agricultural production.

Visitors to EuroTier comprise more than 120,000 livestock professionals from 141 countries. with the majority of visitors coming from livestock-strong countries like the Netherlands, France and Poland and visitor groups consisting of large-scale farmers from Asia as well as North and South America.